HEY MAN, I really need your help...

...the thing is, I need you to start progressing faster then ever, but to achieve that I need your help:

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“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

That's much better, thank you. I'll get a video of the first four bars to you tomorrow if that's ok with you? I've also entered the AC/DC collab, my take is pretty poor but hopefully you guys will help to build it into something ok. I just played what came into my head with no thought at first then I spent 5 minutes working on the first section, after that it goes down hill

It's funny that I could hear it the pop/rock solo wasn't to the tab but I couldn't work out what it should have been. Anyway it's sorted now so onward and upward

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Hi Phil! Great to know that now you could learn the part. I re-checked the original lesson guitar pro and it wasn't completely wrong. It was tabbed with an effect called grace note that is an embellishment that is added by composer to certain notes. The problem with this effect is that the .txt tab is not clear, but don't worry, in the near future your ear should be ready to learn this type of licks by ear.

About the take for the collab, I imagine that you are receiving the right guidance by Kris to get the best from you for this one. If you want a second opinion or something feel free to share the idea here.

OK here's my first take at the collab. It was mostly improvised, I did have a couple of goes at the first few bars and then I was winging it for the rest. That's why you will hear places where I just stop, I had a mental block I admit it's not very good but that's why I joined GMC

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Hi Phil! This is a very good first step for this one. Starting with an improvisation and then work to polish it is a good way to develop a guitar solo. When I compose in this way, I usually listen to the solo again, identify the weak parts and mute them. If I have many takes, I check it there is another take that has a strong phrase for the whole and it not, I try to create new phrases. I repeat this process many times until I have a finished solo that I like, to then record it putting my focus on execution, feeling, and tone.

This solo has clearly two great moment, the beginning and the double string phrase starting at 00:22. Then, I find repetition, and also uncertainly moments (silences and blocks). I think that your solo is lacking a bit of direction on the other parts. You need some more phrases to fill this sections and also apply things that can make the solo more interesting and entertained: different type of bending, longer notes, faster parts, harmonics, slides, more vibrato.

At this point I feel that you have to ways. The first one is the safe one, that would be to polish this one. Replace the section where you stop, and adjust some phrases here and there and work on interpretation. However, if this is your first improvisation over the tune, I can say that you have a lot of potential to create a more interesting take, just that you need to dedicate more time, more tries, and then more analysis of what you played.

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Update: Crazy day today, wife's birthday tomorrow so we will be going out and I won't get chance to record anything. I'm so sorry to start with you like this, I normally play every single day but this last week has been crazy.

I'll be back on track on Tuesday, I want to get something for the collab and I also want to get the pop rock solo to you as far as I have got and also, I never managed to get the staccato power chord lesson good enough for the REC zone while I was with Cosmin so I need you to look at that for me please.

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Very nice mate! I like how you managed feeling, dynamics, and harmonics on this one. It gives the solo a new dimension, mostly on the first half.

There are mainly two things that I would improve on this one. The first half is catchy, but it's a bit repetitive. It doesn't need a big change but as it keeps the same rhythm all the time, and similar melodies, I think that it needs a longer note, a faster phrase or at least some silences, generated with shorter notes or staccato. Just work to make it funnier to hear, but don't make a big change, it's close!

The second problem starts around 00:26, to the end. There you seem to be playing and targeting notes that aren't on scale and the results is very weird sounding phrases. You could add "wrong notes" as passing notes but not stay and bend to them too much. Please review the scale there...

Thanks Gab,The first part is the same as before, I was short on time so I just added to the last ten seconds or so. I used a different guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul, the closest I have to an SG I played the same shape pentatonic scale but twelve frets higher. It must be my bends you are talking about not being from the scale, am I correct in thinking that? I'll have a good go tonight.Cheers Phil

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Thanks Gab,The first part is the same as before, I was short on time so I just added to the last ten seconds or so. I used a different guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul, the closest I have to an SG I played the same shape pentatonic scale but twelve frets higher. It must be my bends you are talking about not being from the scale, am I correct in thinking that? I'll have a good go tonight.Cheers Phil

Everything sounds out of tune starting where I marked. It's a combination of the bends, but also the notes so if you've played the correct scale, the guitar must have been very out of tune, or with calibration problems.

Ok, the pieces from 26seconds onwards were played on a different guitar to the rest, I have checked the intonation and it is as close as the realms of normality allow. I tuned it before I started so I must've shifted up to the wrong position to play the higher notes. My ear isn't good enough to tell the difference Sorry Gab.

Anyway, I've put another one down using the original guitar. As the deadline for the collab is today I will now go back to the pop rock solo and the power chord stacatto lesson.

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Hi Phil! This new take doesn't have the tuning issue, well done! The last phrases still lack some direction there but I think that this has been a good effort and the final result is ok for this one. I think that even knowing that you could continue improving this one, you have done a great job and this process has been really educative, so congrats! Please continue joining this type of initiatives since it's the best way to learn while making music.

I am struggling with the power chords lesson and have been for a few weeks. Is there anything you can give me to help me along? Maybe a similar but simpler lesson for the time being that will allow me to come back to this one at a later date and improve on it.

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

About your question regarding the staccato power chords, we have lots of power chords lessons, and in my archive there are many lessons based on punk bands that include different combinations and progressions of power chords. I think that it would be good for you to start working on some of those musical lessons as a complement for this one. Sometimes we need to go one step forward to then get back and master the current stuff. It's something more related with our mind and not a thing related to fingers or muscles.

Ok, almost back on track. This is the first time I've tried to make a video with this new PC build and for some reason I can't get my camera to stay connected, it keeps dropping out, so I had to hunt high and low in my house to find a card reader This has swallowed some time but I have managed to post the first section of the pop/rock solo.I think it is better to do it in sections as before I used to try and get the whole lot ready for the REC zone and there was too much to keep correcting so I think that getting little bits right and building the piece is better, do you agree?I will always try to send videos but sometimes time will only allow a sound file, I hope this is ok with you.I realised on playback that the double stop with the hammer on isn't quite sounding the two notes, I'll improve that tomorrow. It's amazing how much you miss when playing, it's as though your own brain fills in the gaps and when you play it back you notice it.

And a ten second go at the first part of the power chord shifting lesson.

I know the tone needs work and the mix is low on guitar but I just wanted to show you that I am now back on track, things will be better if I can get my camera to work, saves keep removing the tripod to get the memory card out

“Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day's success.” Israelmore Ayivor

Hi Phil! Great stuff! The video looks and sounds great! It will be a great help to check your posture, movements and also for you to detect what things can be improved to take your playing to a new level. It's awesome that you've already noted one of the things to improve. This is why recording yourself is extremely important.

That double string lick needs off course to sound more defined, it's not sounding as a double stop. Other two things that you need to have in mind is your vibrato and your bending technique. I don't notice that you are trying to do vibrato on this one, so you could start experimenting with it. Your bending is there but your finger is a bit weak yet. You should use more your other fingers to help the one that is bending.

The power chords audio is not sounding good, there is a problem with tuning or with the relation between your guitar chords and the bass. The bass start with one root, and you play another one, or maybe your guitar is out of tune, I'm not sure. Please re-check it.

Other than that, it's great to see you working hard. I think that working on small fragments and focusing on details is a great decision. You have a good timing and tone. Keep going!